Schalie A. Johnson

Schalie Johnson embodies the definition of hard work. She keeps busy as a Partner at Wallace Saunders – but she does not stop there. She is also a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Johnson County Bar Association and the Kansas Bar Association. Pushing her knowledge and the field forward is one of her biggest goals. It makes her a better attorney and positively influences our entire firm.

With the experience to handle clients of all sizes, she regularly takes on diverse challenges in the federal and state courts of Kansas and Missouri. Schalie’s practice focuses on civil litigation and trial work, with an emphasis on construction and design, commercial litigation, personal injury, wrongful death, and extra-contractual (“EC”) insurance matters. Schalie’s emphasis in construction law includes experience representing general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals, in a variety of construction related matters involving construction defects, accidents, and design errors.

Schalie readily takes on clients of all sizes and stature. She values the opportunity to develop relationships with her clients while protecting their personal and business interests.

Business Litigation

Business litigation requires a unique blend of business-specific knowledge and litigation experience. Wallace Saunders has both the knowledge and the experience to protect and move your business forward. Our Business Litigation attorneys handle litigation matters across a broad spectrum of professions and industries.

Construction and Design

The world of construction is comprehensive, collaborative and highly detailed. The same can be said of our approach to construction law. Legal regulations, city and state codes, federal guidelines, environmental issues – there’s a litany of laws and parameters that seems never-ending.

Design Professionals

Architects, engineers, construction managers, licensed site professionals and their firms have long relied on the Design Professionals Group at Wallace Saunders for comprehensive legal services. Our experienced team can handle any legal need that may arise, including regulatory and professional liability claims, advice concerning professional liability insurance, and representation in fee and contractual disputes with clients. Our highly experienced trial lawyers have represented clients in jury and nonjury cases, in both state and federal courts across the country.

Insurance

Insurance issues can escalate from simple to complex quickly, and you need attorneys able to handle it all. With Wallace Saunders, you can rest assured the attorneys in our Insurance Practice Group have a command of insurance law and litigation. In fact, the firm was founded more than 50 years ago with insurance at the core of our practice.

Litigation

Founded as a litigation firm in 1963, our attorneys carry on our tradition of substantial deposition and courtroom experience, with hands-on training that begins early in every attorney’s career. The litigation department is the largest practice area at Wallace Saunders, with more than half of our attorneys working under the Litigation Practice Area umbrella.

Product Liability

Understanding the nuances of Product Liability law and the significant exposure for clients involved in product litigation is a service not every firm can offer. Our experience representing manufacturers, distributors and retailers gives you the advantage of leveraging strategic planning with trial skills in this complex and dynamic area of law.

Transportation and Trucking

When it comes to trucking and transportation, our attorneys are with you from the start, emphasizing early response to losses. Our trucking and transportation attorneys are on call 24/7 to respond to serious accidents and emergencies by visiting accident scenes to gather and preserve evidence. This helps lay the groundwork for a careful investigation and vigorous claim defense. We have an established emergency response protocol, and will work with a team of accident reconstructionists, field investigators, and criminal defense attorneys, when needed, to immediately respond to trucking and other transportation accidents and emergencies.

On Friday, June 8, 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court decided Atkins v. Webcon and signaled an important change for determining whether accidents that occur while workers are out of town for employment-related purposes are compensable.

The relevant facts of the case are that the claimant and others were required to travel and stay in Enid, Oklahoma on a construction project. They took a company vehicle and their accommodations were provided by the employer. The hotel in which claimant and other co-workers were staying, though, was without a hotel bar. Claimant ventured across the street and went to a hotel that did have a hotel bar. He stayed until past two in the morning before attempting to cross the street to his hotel. Unfortunately, he was struck by a car driven by an intoxicated driver and sustained severe injuries.

Kansas Court of Appeals Rules the 6th Edition of The AMA Guides is Unconstitutional as to Francisco Pardo

On Friday, June 1, 2018, the Kansas Court of Appeals published its decision in Francisco Pardo v. UPS. This case had been the subject of great scrutiny, as the issues raised challenged the very constitutionality of the Kansas Workers Compensation Act.

Mr. Pardo suffered a rotator cuff injury in 2013 in a work-related accident. In March 2015, he injured the same shoulder in a separate work-related accident. The second injury was not related to the first injury and involved a different part of the rotator cuff than was previously injured.